'Body of Lies' Fails to Take Box Office Crown - News Story

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Sunday, October 12, 2008 4:25 PM EDT
'Body of Lies' Fails to Take Box Office Crown

tags: action adventure box office disney horror leonardo dicaprio russell crowe screen gems thriller warner bros.

Thriller Body of Lies failed to take the top spot at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, becoming the latest victim of moviegoer aversion to movies dealing with Middle East intrigue.

The $70 million Warner Bros. film, starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio as American spies, had to settle for the No. 3 slot with $13.1 million, behind reigning champ Beverly Hills Chihuahua and the new low-budget horror Quarantine.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua, a Walt Disney Co family comedy with a cast of talking dogs, earned $17.5 million during the three days beginning Friday, taking its 10-day haul to $52.5 million.

Quarantine followed at No. 2 with $14.2 million. The $12 million film was released by Sony Screen Gems. Also new was Universal Pictures' $38 million football drama The Express, which dropped the ball at No. 6 with just $4.7 million.

Warner Bros Pictures had been predicting that Body of Lies would open at No. 1 with a three-day sum possibly reaching the high-teen millions.

"I'm a bit disappointed," said Dan Fellman, the studio's domestic distribution president. "It was too good for the gross it recorded."

He said the film's subject matter may have been too grim for moviegoers seeking some escapism at a time of global financial turmoil. It did not help that other Iraq war-related movies, such as Rendition, Redacted, Stop-Loss and In the Valley of Elah, have also bombed at the box office.

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